We wrote last month about the different ways in which a potential buyer will look to value your business. This is a follow-up piece about how you might increase the value of your business, to ensure you extract the very best price possible. Obviously your recurring income is a crucial starting point. However a good business is about a lot more than a simple multiple of your recurring income. There are a number of ways ways that you can demonstrate additional value in your business, which will allow you drive up the price.

Work through all the valuation methods yourself

As set out last month, financial advice businesses can be valued using a number of different methods. The oldest (and simplest) model is the multiple of revenue model. However this is being replaced today in some cases by buyers using a multiple of the profitability of the business (usually excluding the business owner’s earnings) as this takes account of both revenues and costs within the business.

It is really important that you consider all of the potential valuation methods, as a purchaser most likely will do so! If a particular valuation method is proving very difficult in justifying the value of your business, are there changes that you can make that will improve the picture? Doing the calculations yourself and being prepared are really important to achieving the price that you want.

Drive up trail & other recurring incomes

Obviously there is no point just a year or two before you want to sell up, to really start trying to make the switch from upfront commissions to the flatter income structures that are far more prevalent today. A purchaser will want to see a steady and increasing recurring income stream over a prolonged period. If a sale of your business is on the horizon at all, now is the time to start making that shift to increase your recurring income stream – the StepChange “Getting to 1%” programme could really help you here!

The persistency of business is crucial

Of course the size of your business is a main factor. But so equally is the persistency of your revenue. Lapse rates have become a major issue for life companies and advice firms alike, so obviously persistency will significantly impact the price someone is willing to pay for your business. There is little value in a firm that can’t demonstrate an ability to build up a durable revenue stream.

There are a number of steps that you can take to help address any purchaser concerns in this area. Preparing the ground for an effective “earn-out” period will really increase the confidence of a potential buyer – one of their concerns will be your commitment in this area. Also reducing the reliance of clients who seek to deal exclusively with you will also help. If you can demonstrate that clients deal with your business rather than just you, a buyer will feel more confident about those clients staying with the business.

It is also worth looking at the remaining advisers in your business. Having them tied into solid contracts with clear non-compete clauses should they leave, will again help you in your negotiations with a buyer.

Have a winning business proposition

A buyer will want to believe that he or she is getting more than their money’s worth when running the rule over your business. A very compelling business proposition will help to provide this comfort. For example, this may be strengthening the buyer’s position in their chosen market or indeed giving them access to a new market. It may be a unique expertise that your business offers or strength in attracting a particular target group of clients. A strong position within a niche market can be a very attractive proposition! If you own a brand that is really well known in an attractive target market, this is a very valuable asset. However on the other hand, if you’re not clear about what’s unique about your business and be able to demonstrate this, you cannot expect a prospective buyer to see this potential.

A buyer will also want to be purchasing clients who are engaged by and committed to your organisation, and are likely to stay with the firm going forwards. To achieve this, you’ll need to ensure that your processes for ongoing client engagement really stand up to scrutiny.

Your service and compliance systems are very important

Potential purchasers also want to minimise the headaches involved in a purchase. They want to buy a well-run business that looks after its clients in a professional and engaging way and is compliant in everything that they do. In fact better still, they want to buy a business with potentially better processes and systems than their own, that they can then leverage for their now expanded business. There’s a real opportunity to make your business more attractive to a buyer through utilising excellent business processes.

Your people are the heartbeat…

While your clients are at the core of your business, your own people are the heartbeat of it. They have the strong relationships with your clients, the expert skills that potentially are sought by a buyer and the capability to deliver brilliant service to attract and retain your clients and valuable income stream. A highly skilled, cohesive team is an enormous asset when selling.

These are just some of the factors you might think about as you prepare your business for a potential sale. If you have any comments in relation to the above or indeed can identify any other factors, please leave your thoughts below.

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/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/AdobeStock_206888777-copy.jpeg267400stepchangehttps://stepchange.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/logo-300x78.pngstepchange2018-10-01 10:04:452018-10-01 10:04:45How can you improve the value of your business?